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Outdoor Activities Around the Palouse
Maybe you're tired of partying and wasting your weekends lying around hungover. Or, maybe you're just an outdoor enthusiast and are asking yourself what the heck can you do around here. This is a guide to some of the activities and resources for getting outdoors around Pullman and the Palouse. Ask the experts: Did you know the university has its own outdoor recreation center? They are an invaluable resource for asking about adventures near and far. Staffed with experts and outdoor enthusiasts like yourself they will know some of the better places to get out locally or within the Pacific Northwest. Furthermore, the offer many guided trips like hiking, snowshoeing, kayaking, backpacking, and mountaineering. They even rent out most of the gear you might ever need for a trip. This is a great resource to utilize while you're a student, as your student status gets you discounts on trips and gear. https://urec.wsu.edu/outdoor-recreation/ Hiking: There's really not much within a short drive to satisfy the avid hiker but there are several areas to get to quickly. One popular destination is Kamiak Butte. Short but sweet with awesome views of the Palouse. Moscow Mountain is another great local spot with more options for wandering around. Great for snowshoeing and cross country skiing! Get out further to St. Joe National Forest and get a 16 mile round trip hike up Bald Mountain. For more opportunities and great overnight trails, head north into the Selkirks. Finally, if you like the outdoors, you must visit the Wallowa mountain range at least one. Incredible and often overlooked this is a great place to get into the high mountains for a 3 day weekend. Rock Climbing: Feeling adventurous? Get off the ground, hang from some ropes, and feel like you're Sylvester Stalone in Cliffhanger. If you've never climbed before, that's ok. There's an indoor climbing wall at the rec center that is a perfect place to begin. They can teach you the basics, lend you the equipment, and get you climbing in no time. Once you've gotten comfortable climbing inside on plastic holds. take it to the next level and climb on real rock. The outdoor recreation center periodically offers a class that will transition you from climbing indoors to outdoors. There's a small local crag at Granite Point (You probably know it as "the cliffs") which offers a little bit of climbing for the newcomers and those more experienced but without many routes it loses its appeal quickly. To find more rock you're going to have to travel. 1.5 hours north are two great places to climb. Rocks of Sharon near Spokane is less crowded but allows you to climb "Big Rock" the biggest rock you're going to find around here. Post Falls has a huge variety of climbs and is especially welcoming to the newcomers. Even further is a 3 hour drive to Vantage which holds some of the most unique and spectacular climbing on columnar basalt. Finally, if you're a climbing enthusiast, you're going to want to make the trip all the way to central Oregon to climb at Smith Rock - the sport climbing mecca of North America.